Flu Shot Recommendations

Flu shot shortages and delays have kept many children from getting their flu shot the last few years.

Fortunately, experts aren't predicting any formal shortages or flu shot delays this year, and there aren't any restrictions on getting flu shots. Anyone who wants a flu shot should be able to get one.

In fact, some pediatricians have already begun to get their initial shipments of flu shots.

New Flu Vaccine Recommendations

There is really only one big change in this year's flu shot recommendations that may affect your kids. As many parents know, kids who are under age nine get two doses of the flu vaccine the first year that they get immunized. However, if for some reason they only got one (say, due to a vaccine shortage), it was thought that they could continue with the one dose a year routine the following flu season like everyone else.

The latest flu vaccine recommendations from the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP), however, state that children who received only one dose of the flu vaccine during their first season of getting it still need two doses the following year. Remember, though, that this only applies to kids under age nine.

The ACIP now says that:

• anyone can get a flu vaccine, even if they aren't high risk, if they want to decrease their risk of getting the flu or getting other people sick
• kids can get their flu vaccine at any time during the flu season, although it would be best to get it before the flu season starts or as early in the flu season as possible

When Should You Get Your Flu Shot

In the past few years, because of the shortages and delays, you didn't have much choice over when you could get your kids vaccinated. Most parents simply tried to get their kids vaccinated as soon as they could.

When there's a ready supply of flu vaccine, as there is this season, you'll want to get your child vaccinated before flu season starts or as early as possible during flu season. You could get your flu vaccine at any time, but the later you wait, the greater the risk that your child will catch the flu before he is protected by his flu vaccine. Keep in mind that a typical flu season usually begins in December, peaks in February, and may continue until March.

Pediatricians will usually begin giving flu vaccine, if they have it, by mid-October and will hopefully finish vaccinating the majority of their patients by December.

Because children under age nine need two doses of flu vaccine to get full protection when vaccinated for the first time, they can get their first shot in September, if your pediatrician already has the vaccine on hand.

Who Needs a Flu Shot

High-risk groups who should get a flu shot this flu season include:

• children age 6 to 59 months
• pregnant women and women who will be pregnant during flu season (usually October to March)
• adults age 50 years and older
• children and adults with most chronic health conditions, including asthma, diabetes, neurological and neuromuscular disorders (cerebral palsy, seizures, muscular dystrophy, etc.), and immune system problems
• children and teens who are taking aspirin because of the risk of Reye syndrome
• residents of long-term care facilities
• household contacts and out-of-home caregivers of children younger than 6 months, or in other high-risk groups above
• healthcare personnel who provide direct patient care

Keep in mind that the 'household contacts' part places a lot of extra kids into a high-risk group who should get a flu vaccine. For example, if you have a 3-year-old and a 10-year-old, they should both get a flu vaccine. Or, if one child in your family has asthma, everyone in your house should get a flu vaccine. The child with asthma is in a high-risk group, and everyone else is a household contact.

Remember that even if your child is not in a high-risk group, he can still get a flu vaccine if you want to simply reduce his risk of getting the flu this year.

Other Vaccination Recommendations

• Healthy people who are 5 to 49 years of age and not pregnant -- including health-care workers (except those who care for severely immunocompromised patients in special care units and persons caring for children younger than 6 months) -- can be vaccinated with Flumist.
• People should not get a flu vaccine if they have a severe allergy to chicken eggs; have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination in the past; have developed Guillain-Barre syndrome within 6 weeks of getting an influenza vaccine; if they are less than 6 months old; or if they have a moderate or severe illness with a fever.

One thing to keep in mind is that although thimerosal has been removed from all routinely recommended childhood vaccines, the flu vaccine does still contain thimerosal. This is not necessarily a reason to not get your child immunized, though, especially if he is in a high-risk group. A thimerosal-free flu vaccine is available for the 2007-2008 influenza season, but your pediatrician may not have it because of cost and supply issues. According to the CDC, 'the benefit of influenza vaccine with reduced or standard thimerosal content outweighs the theoretical risk, if any, from thimerosal.'

For more information, please visit our guide to Kids and the Flu.

Updated for the 2007-2008 Flu Season.

_Source:

Prevention & Control of Influenza - Recommendations of the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP). MMWR. July 13, 2007 / 56(RR06);1-54.